At the Top of My List

Forgetting stuff happens. That’s why there is wisdom in making and keeping lists. I am a list keeper. I keep a task list on my iPad and iPhone so iRemember to do stuff. I even scribble lists on sticky notes that I stick on my desk at work and in my truck.

Even with all my lists, I have the additional safety net of having Amy, my assistant, who is one-hundred times more reliable than Siri. Amy also keeps lists of things I need to do and is very good about reminding me.

The busier and older I get the more I depend on lists to help me stay on track. However, even with all of my lists, something occasionally falls through the cracks. It happens to all of us. That’s why I keep lists. Hopefully my lists will continue to get me where I need to be with what I need to have. And, hopefully my lists will make it harder for things to fall through the cracks.

For the past three days, my friend Chris Schooler and I have worked hard to help small groups at Kingsland to prepare for our 9th Annual Caring for Katy on Sunday, March 6. This is the day we close the doors to the church on Sunday and instead go out into our community to be the church. Every small group is charged with finding a need in our community and filling it.

That’s where lists come in. Our groups will do more than forty service initiatives around town. Preparation for each initiative eventually comes down to very specific lists of items that need to be purchased and tasks that need to be assigned and completed in order for our day of service to be a success.

Most of our groups shop for supplies at our local Lowe’s and Home Depot stores. Every group comes in with a list. As you might imagine, serving in a church with lots of engineers means some pretty amazing lists — specific in every way. Some come in with lists scribbled on paper and others with spreadsheets and diagrams.

Yesterday morning, Chris and I met for breakfast before heading off to Lowe’s. We looked over some of the lists submitted by our small groups in order to make our own lists of things to get from our storage area and things we still needed to purchase.

The beauty of it all was that every nail and screw, every piece of lumber, every bag of mulch and flat of flowers, every single item on each list will become a part of a beautiful and practical expression of God’s love to people in need in our community. Each list we looked at will ultimately lead to bringing glory to God as we love and serve others throughout our community.

As we looked at our stack of lists, it struck me that those whose aim is to destroy and kill also make and keep lists. Terrorists keep lists. ISIS keeps lists. Can you imagine the stuff on their lists — items that will ultimately result in the loss of life, in the destruction of families, in spreading hate and sowing fear.

The lists we make are an expression of our respective worldviews. As Christ-followers determined to love others and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, our lists should contribute to making our community a better place. Unlike those who keep lists that lead to death and destruction, selflessly loving and compassionately serving others will remain at the top of my list.

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• Special thanks to Kingsland members Amy Causey, Monte Vincent, and Christian Contreras for their help at Lowe’s this week.